


The Tournament

by MackenzieW



Series: Inspired by OQ [9]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Camelot, F/M, Inspired by Outlaw Queen Week 2019 (Once Upon a Time), Romance, Some angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-25
Updated: 2019-09-25
Packaged: 2020-10-27 20:09:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20766236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MackenzieW/pseuds/MackenzieW
Summary: Arthur announces a tournament to fill Sir Percival's seat after the events of "The Price" and invites the men of Storybrooke to compete to claim Lancelot's chair at the Round Table. This offer brings up some unresolved issues for Regina and Robin.





	The Tournament

**Author's Note:**

> This is my second entry for Inspired by OQ Week! This one was inspired by a Camelot manip by phoenix_shine.

"Why do you think Arthur has summoned us here?" David asked, wrapping a protective arm around his wife. He glanced around as the people of the Camelot court stood behind them, everyone waiting for Arthur and Guinevere to arrive after servants had summoned everyone to the throne room.

"I don't know but I don't have a good feeling about it," Regina replied, pressing her hand to her stomach to calm her nerves. Arthur had been understandably upset after their deception had been revealed after the ball the night before. He hadn't thrown them out of the palace and still seemed willing to help them but he could've changed his mind after a good night's rest. She worried he was going to tell everyone else in Camelot the truth, putting them all—especially Emma—in danger.

Robin drew her close for a comforting hug, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. She placed her free hand to his side, right over the spot where Sir Percival's blade had pierced him. The image of him bleeding and writhing in pain on the ballroom floor while she had been unable to help him still haunted her even after Emma had healed him. She had seen it every time she had closed her eyes and so didn't get much sleep the night before, which no doubt put her more on edge.

Trumpets sounded and Regina felt the excitement level of the court grow as Arthur and Guinevere appeared at the top of the staircase. Both looked well rested after the late night and wore matching outfits made of blue and gold velvet. Their crowns glinted in the bright sunshine pouring into the Great Hall and they greeted their people as they reached the bottom of the stairs and walked toward their thrones. It was as if they were rock stars and their court was their adoring fans. It both amazed Regina and made her suspicious at the same time.

No ruler was that loved by their court.

A hush fell over those gathered as Arthur and Guinevere took their seats. "I am certain most of you are still upset and surprised by Sir Percival's behavior last night at the ball. Her Majesty and I are."

Murmurs rose up from the people but it didn't last long as Arthur raised his hand, silencing them again. "We have apologized to our guests from Storybrooke and do so again publicly. We hope Sir Percival's behavior doesn't give you the wrong impression of Camelot, for we are a welcoming kingdom.

"Sir Percival's betrayal and death does leave another empty chair at my round table," Arthur continued, not giving them any chance to respond to his apology. "I will then be hosting a tournament to fill his empty chair."

Gasps went through the crowd and the murmuring returned, this time excited rather than solemn. Regina had no doubt many of those gathered were imagining themselves sitting at the round table as knights. They saw the tournament as a grand event.

She saw it as a distraction. But maybe with everyone in Camelot focused on the tournament, they would be able to work without interruptions and find Merlin faster.

"I invite the men of Storybrooke to step forward," Arthur then said.

Everyone in their group shared looks before the men stepped forward, including Henry. Regina's heart jumped into her chest as she worried about what Arthur was going to do. She was glad he was flanked by David and Robin, both ready to protect him from their defensive stances. Regina glanced over at Emma, who met her gaze and nodded. They were ready to jump in to protect their son if need be as well.

Arthur's eyes locked on Henry and he smiled, setting Regina even more on edge. However, he said: "I'm sorry, Henry. You're still too young for what I'm about to announce. You can step back with your mothers."

Disappointment filled his eyes as he stepped back but relief swept through Regina. She saw it mirrored in Emma's eyes as they both rubbed his back. While she was relieved Henry had been dismissed, she still didn't relax as she tried to figure out what Arthur was about to say next.

"We have two empty seats at my table," Arthur continued. Beside him, Guinevere grew solemn as her gaze dropped to her hands. "We have left Lancelot's seat open out of respect for our fallen friend. However, I feel it appropriate to give it to one of you as a sign of our friendship—an honorary knight of Camelot."

Everyone else around them applauded as the men again exchanged looks between them. David stepped forward and said: "Thank you, Your Majesties. We are honored, especially as a few of us also knew Sir Lancelot."

Guinevere's head snapped back up, her eyes wide while her husband's narrowed for a moment. It was enough to raise Regina's suspicions even as he schooled his expression back to a neutral one. He looked over his court before declaring: "The tournament will be in two days' time to give everyone who wishes to compete a chance to prepare."

He dismissed the court and everyone started to leave. Arthur turned to Guinevere but she ignored him, jumping up from her throne and hurrying toward their group. She took David's hand. "You knew Lancelot?" she asked.

"I did," he replied. "So did my wife. He married us."

Hook stepped forward. "I knew him too. I, unfortunately, was aligned with the person who killed him. He was an honorable man and did not deserve to have his life cut short like it was. I regret my role in his death."

Guinevere's lip quivered but she held her head high. "I appreciate your apology, Captain. Thank you."

"We both thank you," Arthur said, appearing by his wife's side. She shrank in on herself a bit as he took her arm. "We look forward to having one of you join us at the round table. Excuse us."

He led Guinevere away from them and Regina frowned, sensing something was wrong. She remembered the legends that said that Guinevere cheated on Arthur with Lancelot and wondered if that was why Arthur was acting even weirder than usual.

Something was rotten in Camelot and she hoped they either figured out what it was or left before it brought even more trouble into their lives.

* * *

"I don't like this," Regina said, pacing in the room given to her and Robin. Her hands were clasped behind her back and her red skirts billowed out with every step she took as she tried to puzzle out what Arthur was up to.

Robin sat on the large four-poster bed they had been sharing, watching her with his blue eyes. "I agree. Something doesn't feel right. And I've learned to trust my gut feeling unconditionally."

She paused for a moment, knowing he still beat himself up over Zelena's deception. He had confided in her that he had sensed something was wrong but that he kept trying to rationalize it, to explain it away. Robin felt guilty for not trusting his instincts and pushing back, believing he could've discovered the deception before he had gone so far as to have a child with her.

Believing his gut had saved her the night before when he realized just a second ahead of her what Percival was about to do. She still wished he hadn't taken the blow for her but she appreciated that he had wanted to protect her.

Regina walked closer to him, taking his hands in hers. "I trust your gut too. But how do we find out what's really going on?"

"I think our best bet is for one of us to get that seat on the round table," he replied. "We'll have someone on the inside. Maybe we'll get more information. Or at least a better understanding of Arthur and his kingdom."

She nodded, knowing he had a point. Yet there was something else that had been bothering her since Arthur made his announcement. "Are you going to compete?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied with hesitation. "Otherwise it would be uneven since Arthur already gave Doc permission not to compete."

Regina pulled her hands away from him as if burned. Tears pricked her eyes as every dangerous scenario played through her head. "Robin, please…I…I can't watch you get hurt again."

He sighed, standing as he tried to reach for her again. "I know. But we're only competing amongst ourselves. I don't think we're going to harm each other."

"It doesn't matter what your intentions are," she protested. "All it will take is a spooked horse or a wrong move and you're injured—possibly fatally. I can't do that again."

Robin pulled her in for a hug, cupping the back of her head with his hand. "We're all going to have to constantly face dangerous situations, Regina. We can't hide from them."

"Robin…"

He pulled back, frowning. "What about you?"

She frowned as well, confused. "What do you mean?"

"How many times have you put yourself in danger?" he asked angrily. "Gods, Regina, I had to watch you bleed to death too in that crazy world Isaac created. And don't say it wasn't real because it was. My fear and grief were real."

They hadn't yet talked about what had happened in Isaac's alternate reality, not with how quickly everything had happened. She pressed her hand to her stomach as she insisted: "I'm fine."

"Yes, because Henry undid the damage caused by Rumple's sword," he replied. "But what happens the next time you jump in the middle of a battle to take a hit for someone."

"That's not fair," she protested softly.

He raised an eyebrow. "Why? You tend to disregard your own safety and wellbeing when fighting an enemy."

"Because I want to defend my family," she said angrily. "I would rather I get hurt than you or Henry or Roland or Snow or, hell, even Emma!"

"And I'd rather get hurt than you," he replied, crossing his arms.

She held her head higher, hoping to get him to see her point. "You already proved that last night and I never had felt such fear or anguish, even when I lost Daniel. I hardly got any sleep last night because I kept seeing you bleeding on the floor."

"I've had the same nightmare," he told her, his voice sounding just as anguished as she felt. "You lying there while I know the only thing I could do was hold your hand as death took you."

Regina swallowed, taken back by the intensity in his eyes and the anguish in his voice. "I'm…I'm not used to this."

He tilted his head, frowning. "Used to what?"

"Having someone who would miss me if I were to die," she replied, her voice catching as she tried not to cry. "It always seems like everyone would be better off without me."

Robin reached out and pulled her into a hug again, holding her tightly. "There are so many people who would miss you if you died, chief among them Henry. He'd be so lost without his mother."

She sniffled, thinking of her little prince and the time they spent estranged as she tried to move past being the Evil Queen. "He has Emma. And for a while, I felt like he would be happier to be with her and for me to just disappear."

"He wouldn't. I know I didn't know you two during that tense period, but I know Henry. Even then he loved you and had you died, he would've been heartbroken," he told her.

Part of Regina knew that yet it was drowned out by the part that told her she was worthless, useless, and that no one mourned the villains. Everyone was always better off without them—and so they would be better off without her. "It's hard to remember and believe sometimes," she admitted softly.

He sighed, kissing the top of her head. "It hurts me to know that you see so little in yourself and it makes me want to hurt everyone who did this to you."

"You'd have to hurt me too," she replied, recalling an enchanted arrow landing next to her mirror. "For a long time, the person I hated the most was myself."

Robin shuffled them back until they fell onto the bed, him still holding her. She wrapped her arms around him and they held onto each other as she realized she had started crying. He stroked her hair as her tears spilled down her cheeks, her sobs echoing around the room. Regina didn't know what she was crying for—the love and support she had either never gotten or refused to accept, all the years she spent despising herself and unhappy, the despair she felt when she thought she had lost Henry for good, or the pain of possibly losing Robin and the happiness he and Roland brought into her life.

Perhaps it was all of it.

The tears soon dried up and she felt even more tired than before. She rested her head against Robin's chest and played with a buckled on the vest Arthur and Guinevere had given him.

"Do you need anything?" he asked softly. "Water? Food? Did you have breakfast this morning?"

"I picked at some of the fruit," she replied.

"So no," he said. "We should probably get some food into you."

She sat up, her cheek hot from where it was pressed to his chest. Regina rubbed it as she looked down at Robin, who was watching her with concerned eyes. "We haven't finished our other conversation," she told him.

"Which one was that?" he asked, also sitting up. He reached out and rubbed her arm soothingly.

"The one about you competing in the tournament," she reminded him. "I still don't like it."

He sighed, still rubbing her arm as he seemed to gather his thoughts. "I'm not asking you to like it, Regina. I just want you to understand why I need to do this."

"I don't," she told him. "I don't understand why you have to put yourself at risk. Even with friendly competition like Charming, Hook and Leroy, you can still get hurt. You get hit in the wrong spot, a lance splinters, you fall off your horse…"

Robin gently pressed his finger to her lips. "I know. And I've taken all of that into consideration. I believe there is a larger risk that outweighs all of that. We don't know Arthur and Guinevere's true intentions nor how to get Merlin out of the tree—how did he even end up in there in the first place?"

"I know all of that," she told him, slightly muffled by his finger. She glared at him. "We agreed that having such access to Arthur might help us get more information."

He nodded. "Not having one of us there could cost us dearly than participating in the tournament."

She knew he was right. They needed someone to gain Arthur's trust and perhaps he would give that person more information or access to the palace. And it was clear the only way to do that was for the men to compete in the tournament.

"Fine," she relented with a sigh. "I still don't like it but I understand."

He grinned, his eyes lighting up as he kissed her hand. "Thank you. And I promise that I will do everything in my power to make it out of the tournament with relatively minor injuries."

She nodded, knowing it was the best he could promise. Regina laid her hand against his cheek and gave him a smile. "Well, I think I should be able to heal those this time."

"We'll worry about any possible injuries later," he told her, standing. He helped her to her feet. "Let's get some food in you and maybe a nap, yeah?"

"Only if you nap with me," she replied.

Chuckling, he ushered her out of the room as he winked. "I think that can be arranged, milady."

* * *

The day of the tournament, Regina made her way to the area where the participants were gathering to await their turn. She wove through all the competitors, surprised at the number of men who had shown up in hopes of becoming a knight. It clearly was a great honor and they wanted it to be theirs.

She eventually found Robin, clothed in a white shirt under a blue vestment, paired with a blue cape. He also wore blue pants and dark boots as he tacked a white stallion. A lance and sword rested next to his bow and quiver, all ready for whatever tasks he was given in the tournament.

"Please tell me that's not what you are wearing for the competition," she said, patting his horse's neck.

He chuckled, shaking his head. "Arthur had us fitted for armor—everyone else had to get their own. However, our first event is archery. We don't need armor for that. Most of us aren't going to change into the armor until the swordfights."

"Good," she said, knowing he should be safe during the archery round. All arrows would be going toward targets, not their fellow competitors. She kissed his cheek. "I know you don't need it for this round but good luck anyway."

"Thank you," he said, giving her hands a squeeze.

Regina stepped away, drawing a piece of red lace from inside her sleeve, which was made of the same material. "I believe it's customary for ladies to give knights a favor to carry into these tournaments," she said, smiling at him.

He took the lace and kissed it. "It would be my honor to carry your favor, milady."

"Henry, Roland and I will be cheering you on from the stands," she promised.

"I promise to make my family proud," he said, placing his hand over his heart. It made hers skip a beat as she realized that they were really a family now—her wish had finally come true after many years of waiting.

One of Arthur's knights walked through the field, saying all spectators needed to take their seat and only competitors could remain in that area. Regina gave Robin a quick kiss before wishing him luck again. She joined the other family members as they headed toward the stadium, falling into step with Emma and Mary Margaret. "They'll be fine, right?" Mary Margaret asked her.

"Of course they will," Regina assured her, taking her stepdaughter's hand and giving it a squeeze. Emma also quickly reassured her mother as well.

They took their seats and Roland sat on Regina's lap as Henry settled between her and Emma. All of Camelot was packed into the stadium and they cheered as Arthur and Guinevere entered, this time wearing matching gold outfits and ruby-studded crowns. He helped her sit on her throne before waving his hand, commanding silence. Smiling, he announced: "Let the tournament begin!"

A cheer rose up from the crowd as trumpets blared. Each competitor entered on their horse, everyone somehow wearing a different pattern of colors on their outfits. Regina easily spotted Robin's as he rode next to David, who wore a red and white pattern. Hook had chosen a black and red pattern while Leroy wore a blue and red one. They waved as they passed their friends and family, Roland and Henry cheering loudly for them.

Once the parade ended, a herald announced the archery competition as servants set up the target. Robin took his spot with the others and Regina noticed the red lace was tied around the strap of his quiver, resting against his heart. Others carried tokens of favor as well, each in a different spot. As they nocked their arrows and raised them, awaiting the command to release them, a sense of calm washed over Regina. The tournament would go well and no matter who won the spot at Arthur's table, they would all win.

* * *

David won Lancelot's chair after all the points were added up from the three competitions. Robin had been a close second and might have won had he gotten a third tap on Hook during the joust rather than the other way around. Either way, Regina had been proud of her soulmate and had given him his own reward that night.

"I didn't realize you were also quite skilled with a sword," she told him as they laid naked in each other's arms. She rubbed the arm he had wrapped around her, her fingers grazing his lion tattoo.

He chuckled, kissing her head. "I trained to use multiple weapons. I just prefer my bow to them all. I have the best luck with it."

"You never miss," she replied with a smile.

"Never," he said, kissing her nose. He then turned serious. "But I think the best person won in the end. David is going to do well as a knight."

She nodded. "I agree. I also think he and Arthur will connect better so the king may confide more in him.

"But," she continued, running a finger along the muscles on his chest. "You will always be my knight."

"And you will always be my lady," he promised. He swept her up in his arms and she laughed as he kissed her neck. It was clear this was going to be another night where she got very little sleep but she wasn't going to complain.

Regina didn't know what exactly the upcoming days would bring but she was certain there would be more restless nights as they faced new problems and challenges. So she was going to enjoy a night full of love and happiness with her knight. With him by her side, she would be able to face anything.

It was the closest to a happily ever after than she had ever hoped to get.


End file.
